Stay with Me
by The Fifth Dimension
Summary: Paige coming to visit has done wonders to lift Bayley's spirit. She knew firsthand, however, how difficult it was to say goodbye - to be away from someone for so long. It was even harder to not beg them to stay.


**Author's Note: So my last story, All Along was possibly the longest single-segment story I've ever written (a 6,000 word beast). I had a lot of fun writing it, my favorite one so far, but I decided to take a break from longer stories and stick to short and sweet. Not sure where this idea came from, but I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _Stay with Me_**

Paige mumbled incoherently as she stared at herself in the mirror, her skin draped in colorful attire. Bayley had gone too far this time. She was okay with her friend forcing her to try on goofy headbands, or outlandish slap-on bracelets, but wearing this neon green pair of pants with matching top? This was out of the question!

"Bayley!"

The young woman in question poked her head into the room at the sound of her name. Allowing herself entry, her jaw dropped when she saw her friend. "Wow! It fits!"

"It looks awful," Paige stated bluntly, unable to hide her disgust with Bayley's choice of outfit. "I look like a gothic clown, see?" She turned to face Bayley so she could get a closer look.

Bayley couldn't help but let out a few chuckles at Paige's description, even if she disagreed. "You look different! It's so cool!" She always enjoyed it when Paige agreed to try on different clothing for her.

Giving herself another once-over, Paige became increasingly mortified. This was her one week without having to travel, and she spent a majority of it dressing like a fool for Bayley's amusement. She just couldn't say 'no' to the poor girl - she looked like a wounded animal when she pouted! "Can I change now?"

Bayley nodded, still giddy and cheerful as always, despite her friend's obvious disinterest in her clothing choices. Paige quickly stood up and left the room, presumably to change into something darker. Alone in her own room, Bayley's smile gradually slipped away. The end of Paige's week away from work was steadily coming to an end, and Bayley would be left alone as she is now. Things were much simpler when Paige was always nearby, readily available for hugging at a moment's notice.

A few minutes had passed when Bayley finally heard footsteps approaching her room. Sitting up straight her bed, she shook all thoughts of Paige's departure out of her mind and tried to plaster on a smile that fit the Bayley mold.

"Seriously, the light in your bathroom is definitely… broken. What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're crying."

Bayley let out an audible gasp of surprise, her hand shooting up to her cheek. How had she not noticed that she was crying? "T-Those aren't tears!"

Paige raised an eyebrow in response.

"I-I was practicing what it would be like to be a sprinkler, see?" To emphasize her point, the normally happy-go-lucky girl clenched her eyes shut in what Paige could only assume was an attempt to produce more water from her eyes.

"Bayley, come on now. What's going on?" Paige was both confused and worried. Bayley rarely cried, and when she did, it was because she was happier than normal.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

Paige's curiosity was certainly piqued by this point, if it wasn't already before. "Promise." She took Bayley's outstretched pinky in her own to show her just how serious she was. "Now tell me what's up. Talk to Dr. Paige." Paige slowly took a seat next to Bayley on her bed.

Mustering up every ounce of courage in her, Bayley faced Paige, and gave her one simple reply. "You're leaving."

"Well, yeah. I have to leave sometime."

"I don't want you to go!" Paige nearly leapt back in shock. This was most certainly out of character for her friend. Never once had she heard Bayley raise her voice to such an extreme before. She'd listened to her squeal - an ear-splitting squeal if one ever did exist - but this? She almost seemed angry.

"You know I have to go eventually," Paige replied, her voice a mix of concern and disappointment. "I have to get back on the road. You want to see me do well, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"But?"

"I always used to have Charlotte and Becky with me. Now they're gone too, but you all have each other. I don't have anyone." Bayley tried once more to wipe the tears away, but the floodgates had been opened long ago. Tears steadily streamed down her face. "You coming back has been awesome. I don't want you to go again. I'll be all alone."

Paige had a definite soft spot for her headband-wearing friend. She just seemed so innocent, so pure. Watching her get so broken up was a terrible sight. Worst of all, she was getting so torn up because of _her_. The raven haired woman wished more than anything that she could truthfully say, "I'll stay here forever!" However, she knew that was out of the question. They'd have to power through this somehow.

"Bayley, look at me." When it was clear that she wouldn't do so voluntarily, Paige took it upon herself to delicately pull Bayley's face up so their eyes were locked, faces mere inches apart. "It's hard, believe me I know." Her hand never left Bayley's face as she spoke, her thumb wiping away tears that threatened to cascade down her cheek. "It hurts me too. I don't like being away from you. You're special to me, you know?" She wasn't sure why exactly she added that last bit, but Bayley seemed to perk up a tad as she heard the words.

"This - wrestling on the road, in front of thousands of people every night - has been my dream ever since I was a little girl. It's been your dream too." At this point, it took an extraordinary amount of effort for Paige not to spring a leak herself, especially when Bayley was still trembling beneath her fingertips.

"It _is_ my dream," Bayley interrupted. "It's a dream come true for me to even be here at NXT. But you being here's been a dream come true for me too! I've just missed you, and the others, so much… but you the most."

Ouch. That hit Paige right in the heart. "I've missed you too, pumpkin. But," Paige stopped herself to wipe a tear from her own eye this time, "we have to be strong, okay? You have to keep trying your hardest and then you'll be on the road with us soon." She took a deep breath, calming down just enough to prevent her voice from shaking or cracking.

"Not soon enough."

"No, not soon enough."

"Paige?" Bayley gently removed Paige's hand from her face, even though she really did enjoy the contact. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up."

Bayley was smiling, but Paige still felt like she hadn't done much at all. "Did I actually help?"

"A little. I have to accept that we're going to be away from each other for a while. So, I've been thinking of more ways we can keep in touch while you're on the road."

Paige couldn't help but smile as well, Bayley's beaming personality becoming infectious. "Okay, what'cha got for me?"

"Well," the bubbly woman lifted her hand, ready to count off a multitude of ideas. "We could Skype at least four nights a week."

"I'm liking where this is going."

"We can have movie days! Oh, and you could wear more cool clothes like today!"

Paige's face scrunched up in response. "You do realize that I'm not actually a doll, yeah?"

"You have the perfect doll body! We could also…"

As Bayley continued to rattle off ideas, Paige felt herself becoming happier just being in her friend's presence. Something about Bayley seemed to have an effect on her, and she loved every bit of it. She had such a positive impact on Paige's life; it was going to be a tough road without her most cherished friend. It was as she said though - they both had to be strong. With her talent and athleticism, Bayley would be on the road with them - with her - sooner rather than later.

Until then, Paige had a feeling that her lonely nights were going to be a lot more exciting.


End file.
